4.04

3

Jan 17, 2014

Someone recently asked me what review I enjoyed writing the most, and, well, this is it:

I have a massive problem with this book. It’s one I’m a little embarrassed to admit. The problem is not with the writing or the characters that Stevenson has created; it’s not even with the plot. The problem resides with Kermit the Frog. (Stay with me here!) I grew up watching the muppets. I became slightly obsessed with them. I kind of wanted to join them. So, whenever I read about Captain Smollett and Long Someone recently asked me what review I enjoyed writing the most, and, well, this is it:

I have a massive problem with this book. It’s one I’m a little embarrassed to admit. The problem is not with the writing or the characters that Stevenson has created; it’s not even with the plot. The problem resides with Kermit the Frog. (Stay with me here!) I grew up watching the muppets. I became slightly obsessed with them. I kind of wanted to join them. So, whenever I read about Captain Smollett and Long John Silver all I can see is Kermit fighting Tim Curry!



Therefore, I just can’t take this book seriously. Well, at least not completely. The Muppet Treasure Island is such a great film; it’s hilarious. This book was much more serious. The pirates in here aren’t singing toys; they’re hardened criminals that created the pirate stereotype. They’re the sort of men you don’t want on your ship because they’d likely cut your throat in your sleep. They might wake you up first if they’re feeling kind. So, they wouldn’t try and gain your trust by singing you a jolly song about piracy, like Tim and his muppet mates would.



But, muppet based comparison aside, this is a good novel. I did quite enjoy it. It all begins when the young Jim Hawkins comes across a map for buried treasure, except he hasn’t got any money to fund the voyage. He Gonzo and Rizzo goes alone and seeks the help of Fozzie Bear Squire Trelawney. As a member of the Victorian gentry, he takes the map for himself with the intention of filling his own coffers with the loot. He’s not a very nice bear guy, and he’s not overly intelligent either. In his frugality he accidently hires a group of twisted muppets pirates that, unsurprisingly, mutiny against him.

This all sounds terrible, I know. But, it’s not all bad because the ship’s captain is none other than Kermit the Frog Captain Smollett who is absolutely in love with Miss Piggy no one. Indeed, Smollett is in direct contrast to the money driven Fozzie Trelawney because he is everything he is not; he is brave and honourable; he is completely true to his word. He is competing, unknowingly, for the attention of Jim. The young boy is looking for a farther figure, and in Silver and Smollett he sees two potential role models, and two potential life choices.



It all works out in the end though because this is a muppet movie adventure book after all. In all seriousness, it is an exciting book. But, for me, that’s all it is. There are no hidden motives or dark secrets. Everything is straight forward, clean cut and simple. It is a nice easy read. Stevenson’s masterpiece is most definitely The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde. That’s where the real mystery is at. But, it doesn’t have muppets….. ...more

4

Jun 02, 2016

3 items worthy of note in Robert Louis Stevenson's classic treasure "Treasure Island":

1) There are a ton of tropes! We understand that this is pretty much what Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ripped off, making tons of money off of this adventurous classic, including but not limited to: rampant alcoholism; a code of honor; castaways (at sea or in land); shipwrecks (new and ancient); treason (group & individual) & double crosses; mutiny, hostages, captures and shocking escapes; 3 items worthy of note in Robert Louis Stevenson's classic treasure "Treasure Island":

1) There are a ton of tropes! We understand that this is pretty much what Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ripped off, making tons of money off of this adventurous classic, including but not limited to: rampant alcoholism; a code of honor; castaways (at sea or in land); shipwrecks (new and ancient); treason (group & individual) & double crosses; mutiny, hostages, captures and shocking escapes; strangers appearing from the mist & pirate flags; raresome slapstick comedy ("...[he] fell from his whole height face foremost to the floor." [16]) & good comedic timing (the parrot tells everybody The Secret, ruining plans); a compass made up entirely of human bones; & ghosts.

2)Jim Hawkins is your typical YA protagonist prototype. He's the go-between of the two fighting groups, the one who bargains with the villain Long John Silver (mmm.... breaded fish and shrimp...) and propels the narrative forward. He's the center; a dreamer; while he loses his humility he attains a coming-of-age wisdom that peaks at the point where he brandishes a pistol for the first time.

3)The plot resembles a Hollywood blockbuster. There is very little inaction, but when it occurs (such as the villain's cliched soliloquy or the factions grunting against their enemies) it does decelerate the pace of the story. Here is a very substantial urge to make everything explosive & loud. Thank you, Mr. Stevenson! ...more

3

Mar 07, 2016

English (Treasure Island) / Italiano

«Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17_ and go back to the time when my father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging English (Treasure Island) / Italiano

«Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17_ and go back to the time when my father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof»

Perfect incipit for an adventure novel, able to introduce the whole story in a few lines and, at the same time, generate in the reader that tantalizing curiosity that invites you to read quickly the pages, thinking "let's settle down, you're going to see some things".

However, I confess that for me the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, reread years later (this time is a bedtime reading for my daughter), has lost part of its appeal. Nevertheless, my daughter appreciated it, probably it's a novel that best suits the tastes of children and young people. In fact, Stevenson has never hidden that the inspiration to the novel came frome his adopted son, Lloyd, with whom in a rainy afternoon drew an island for fun, fantasizing with him on the places about the places map and on future characters. The novel that was taking shape for the 12-year-olds boy's amusement changed in a really fun adventure. Well, then let's all sing it together:

«Fifteen men on a dead man's chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!»

Vote: 7,5

«Sollecitato dal conte Trelawney, dal dottor Livesey e dal resto della brigata di scrivere la storia della nostra avventura all’Isola del Tesoro, con tutti i suoi particolari, nessun escluso, salvo la posizione dell’isola. e ciò perché una parte del tesoro ci è ancora nascosta, io prendo la penna nell’anno di grazia 17… e mi rifaccio al tempo in cui mio padre teneva la locanda dell’ “Ammiraglio Benbow” e il vecchio uomo di mare dal viso sfregiato da un colpo di sciabola prese per la prima volta alloggio presso di noi»

L'incipit è di quelli perfetti per un romanzo d'avventura, in grado di introdurre in poche righe tutta la vicenda e contemporaneamente generare nel lettore quella stuzzicante curiosità che invoglia a divorare le pagine. Per la serie "mettetevi a sedere che ora ne vedrete delle belle".

Confesso però che per me il romanzo di Robert Louis Stevenson, riletto a distanza di anni (lettura serale per mia figlia), ha perso un pò del suo fascino. Mia figlia ha comunque apprezzato, probabilmente è un romanzo che meglio si adatta ai gusti di bambini e ragazzi. D'altronde Stevenson non ha mai nascosto che l'ispirazione per il romanzo gliela ha data il figlio adottivo Lloyd, con il quale in un pomeriggio di pioggia disegnò per gioco un'isola, fantasticando assieme a lui sui luoghi della mappa e sui futuri personaggi. Il racconto che prendeva forma per il divertimento di un ragazzo dodicenne si è poi trasformato in una gran bella avventura. E allora cantiamo tutti insieme:

«Quindici uomini sulla cassa del morto,
yo-ho-ho, e una bottiglia di rum!»

Voto: 7,5

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4

Apr 10, 2014

YO-HO-HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM!!!

This is the iconic novel about pirates that it stands as the best example in this topic and easily one of the most adapted to other media novels in any genre.

I can remember having watched several adaptations, live action films, animated movies, even an animated film using animals as the characters, there is the Muppets' one, a Japanese anime TV series, an European mini-series taking the story to outer space starring Anthony Quinn, the animated remake of that YO-HO-HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM!!!

This is the iconic novel about pirates that it stands as the best example in this topic and easily one of the most adapted to other media novels in any genre.

I can remember having watched several adaptations, live action films, animated movies, even an animated film using animals as the characters, there is the Muppets' one, a Japanese anime TV series, an European mini-series taking the story to outer space starring Anthony Quinn, the animated remake of that version by Disney and the current Starz channel prequel TV series "Black Sails". Just to mention the ones that I have watched but there are a lot of more adaptations.

While the topic of pirates is a popular one, I think that there aren't much novels about it. At least not examples really worthy of reading them. Obviously there are some here and there, but taking in account how much options one has in other topics in literature, pirates has been a concept seldom touched with success.

However, this novel was able to keep on the mind of everybody the storytelling appeal of the topic of pirates inspiring successes on other media such as Japanese anime "Captain Harlock" and live actions films of "Pirates of the Caribbean".

For all that and its own merit, Treasure Island keeps retaining the crown as the best novel about pirates.

Characters like Jim Hawkins, Billy Bones, Ben Gunn, Captain Smollett and of course, Long John Silver have become iconic in the universe of literature. Even they have been so admired that other authors couldn't resist to makes homages/mentions of them on their own novels, such examples like on Peter Pan.

Its appealing is obvious depending the readers, many young ones can't resist to be amazed by Jim Hawkins who is 14 years old but he is able to keep up in the middle of adult characters and even being a key character in the success of the adventure.

To readers and writers of all ages, certainly the character of Long John Silver stands out as one of the best developed characters in the history of literature becoming a model to many following similar ones. He is able to do ruthless things but he has a code, he has limits, and not matter that he is not a nice person, there are things that he never will do and for that, he is a complicated and truly interesting character to read about.

Not matter how was on real life, Robert Louis Stevenson, the author, was able to show a romantic picture of pirates' world with now iconic elements like islands with treasures, maps with "x"'s, fearful papers with a black spot, peglegs, eye patches, parrots on shoulders, but above all, he had no doubt to show how dangerous and murderous can be real pirates.

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4

Oct 28, 2016

Treasure Island is arguably one of the most influential tales in the world of fiction. Every pirate stereotype that we take for granted these days we can see the foundation somewhere in this magic tale. Approaching this story; I am quite lucky that I knew nothing about the plot except that there was a map where X marked the spot showcasing Captain Flint's legendary treasure. I went into the task of reading this like a happy youth, wide-eyed looking forward to experiencing a legendary story for Treasure Island is arguably one of the most influential tales in the world of fiction. Every pirate stereotype that we take for granted these days we can see the foundation somewhere in this magic tale. Approaching this story; I am quite lucky that I knew nothing about the plot except that there was a map where X marked the spot showcasing Captain Flint's legendary treasure. I went into the task of reading this like a happy youth, wide-eyed looking forward to experiencing a legendary story for the first time without being hindered with prior knowledge of the narrative, the characters, the pace and the plot twists.

So the story goes something like this. An alcoholic ex-pirate Captain spends his days in a local bar drinking himself to death whilst singing jolly pirate songs. "Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum" etc... He, unfortunately, passes away and leaves a chest which contains a secret map amongst other treasures. The map is highly sought after by all the wrong people. Our 1st person perspective young superstar Jim Hawkin's finds the map and speaks to his friends Dr. Livesey and a squire, Mr. Trelawney and they decide to venture to this mystical treasure island to hunt for said treasure.

Leaving from Bristol, they gather a ships worth of pirates and hands. Experienced in their own ways but none more so than pleasant, pub-owning ship's cook Long John Silver. So off they go on this adventure. They get the treasure and go home and live happily ever after. But, that obviously didn't happen because that would not make a legendary story.

The main protagonist, Jim is a great character. This is typically seen as a children's book (although some of the sea and pirate terminology is quite specific and complex) and having the first person perspective shown from the view of a young kid adds to the remarkableness of the story. The fact Jim is a young man who performs extraordinary deeds, often going against the odds on the Hispaniola (the trusty vessel that takes them to treasure island) or the island itself amongst hardened sea-faring men means we really have his back and support his deeds throughout the tale. We feel close to him because of how well Stevenson writes this character. Every time the plot progresses, it is because of an amazing deed that Jim has done, often on his own back without the consultation of the most senior members of the group. We route for him every second of the way because he is us.

Things don't work out smoothly when they get to the Island. A divide occurs. Mutiny some might say. A split is presented so Jim, Dr, Squire and a few trusted men are on one side. Old pirates who were part of Captain Flint's crew rally under who we thought was a nice dude. Long John Silver.

He is the most complex character in this short book. Peg legged, parrot on his shoulder "pieces of eight" are some of his characterisations that you will probably see some 12-year-old child imitating this Halloween. You never quite know where you stand with Silver. He starts off seeming good. Jim overhears his plot of mutiny whilst hiding in a barrel. At that point, he is portrayed as purely evil but towards the end, he seems more human and complex. Sticking up for Jim Hawkins when the rest of his sea mates want to kill the poor lad.

Other notable characters are Ben Gunn, the Robinson Crusoe-esque marooned island dweller and Dr. Livesey. It is ingeniously written that in such a short book we can care about so many of the players and their complexity is unrivaled.

There are lots of cool scenes. Shootouts on the Island between the two factions. Jim vs. Israel Hands. Meeting Ben Gunn and when Jim goes back to the safe haven of the wooden castle expecting to regroup with his friends but alas... it is not to be.

I will end this review with a few pirate clichés that frequent Treasure Island. "Shiver my timbers" "Shipshape" "Jolly Roger" & "Pieces of Eight" come to mind.

I really enjoyed this. So different to Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde that I have previously read by Stevenson. Yet, that makes a good author, being able to flaunt his linguistic skills in various genres making tales such as these which will last forever.

Cap'n Tivendale at your service.
www.youandibooks.wordpress.com

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3

Apr 11, 2010

Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "buccaneers and buried gold". Its influence is enormous on popular perceptions of pirates, including such elements as treasure maps marked with an "X", schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders.

An old sailor named Billy Bones comes to lodge in the rural Admiral Benbow Inn on the West English coast. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of "buccaneers and buried gold". Its influence is enormous on popular perceptions of pirates, including such elements as treasure maps marked with an "X", schooners, the Black Spot, tropical islands, and one-legged seamen bearing parrots on their shoulders.

An old sailor named Billy Bones comes to lodge in the rural Admiral Benbow Inn on the West English coast. He tells the innkeeper's son, Jim Hawkins, to keep a lookout for "a one-legged seafaring man." A former shipmate, Black Dog, confronts Bones and engages in a violent fight with him. After Black Dog is run off, a blind beggar named Pew visits to give Bones "the black spot" as a summons to share a map leading to buried treasure. Shortly thereafter, Bones suffers a stroke and dies. Pew and his accomplices attack the inn, but Jim and his mother save themselves while taking Bones's sea chest. Inside the chest, they find a map of an island on which the infamous pirate Captain Flint hid his treasure. Jim shows the map to the local physician Dr. Livesey and the district squire John Trelawney, and they decide to make an expedition to the island, with Jim serving as a cabin boy. They set sail on Trelawney's schooner, the Hispaniola, under Captain Smollett. Much of the crew, as it is later revealed, are pirates who served under Captain Flint, most notable of which is the ship's one-legged chef "Long John" Silver. Jim, sitting in an apple casket, overhears the conspirators' plan to mutiny after the salvage of the treasure and to assassinate the skippers. ...

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: یکی از روزهای سال 1973 میلادی
عنوان: جزیره گنج؛ نویسنده: رابرت لوئیس (لوئیز) استیونسون (استیونسن)؛ مترجم: هاجر تربیت؛ تهران، بنگاه ترجمه، چاپ دوم 1343، در 278 ص؛
مترجم: اردشیر نیکپور؛ تهران، گوتنبرگ، چاپ دوم 1351، در 364 ص؛ موضوع: داستان کودکان از نویسندگان انگلیسی سده 19 م
مترجمهای دیگر، خانمها و آقایان: حسین دستوم؛ یوسف فرخ؛ عباس کرمی فر؛ پرویز نجم الدینی؛ محسن سلیمانی؛ امیرمهدی مراد حاصل؛ صفورا کلهر؛ احمد کسایی پور؛ سپهر شهلایی؛ علی اکبری؛ علیرضا نعمتی؛ محمدرضا جعفری؛ نعیمه ظاهری؛ آرمین هدایتی؛ مهسا طاهریان؛ مهسا یزدانی؛ محمد قصاع؛ امین دادور؛ سهیل رمضانی؛ محمد همت خواه؛ ناهید حاجی سلیمانی؛ شهلا طهماسبی؛ بیتا ابراهیمی؛ سوده کریمی؛ ؛

داستانی ماجراجویانه، که رابرت لویی (لوئیزیا لوئیس) استیونسُن نویسنده اسکاتلندی نوشته است. این رمان نخستین بار در سال 1883 میلادی به صورت کتاب به چاپ رسید، و موضوع آن درباره ی دزدان دریایی، و گنجی مدفون در یک جزیره است. جزیره ی گنج هماره در زمره ی ادبیات کودک و نوجوان بوده است، و منتقدان آن را به خاطر توصیف استادانه ی نویسنده، از: شخصیت‌ها، رویدادها، و فضای داستان، بسیار ستوده‌ اند. بارها به روی صحنه ی تئاترها و پرده ی سینماها رفته، و از محبوبیت ویژه ای نزد نوجوانان، برخوردار است. ا. شربیانی ...more

4

Feb 14, 2010

Remember when pirates briefly became ironically cool, and all of your annoying friends were joining facebook groups for International Talk Like A Pirate Day? And the first Pirates of the Carribbean movie came out and was surprisingly awesome? And then the second Pirates of the Carribbean movie came out and was decidedly less awesome, but you didn't really realize it until the third one came out and you discovered you couldn't remember and didn't care about number two's cliffhanger ending (it was Remember when pirates briefly became ironically cool, and all of your annoying friends were joining facebook groups for International Talk Like A Pirate Day? And the first Pirates of the Carribbean movie came out and was surprisingly awesome? And then the second Pirates of the Carribbean movie came out and was decidedly less awesome, but you didn't really realize it until the third one came out and you discovered you couldn't remember and didn't care about number two's cliffhanger ending (it was like The Matrix in that way actually)? And then you finally saw the third one on DVD when you were home from the hospital after almost dying of mono,who knew that could happen, but apparently it really messes with your liver, and the movie was so bad you couldn't even stay awake through the literally 45-minute long action sequence that caps it all off, and besides, it makes no sense at all, with everyone betraying everyone else so many times you need a flow chart to follow the plot?

I suppose we have RLS and Treasure Island to blame for all that. Because this is the book that established what we think of when we think of pirates, from skull & crossbones banners to peg legs to squawking shoulder-mounted parrots to maps with big red Xs and yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum. It's kind of weird to think about: those concepts are so ingrained in our culture (see: International Talk Like a Pirate Day), and yet they all stem from this rather innocuous adventure story for children.

But it is a really great adventure, which is probably why it became so iconic. This book is 130 years old but exhibits none of the mustiness of late Victorian-era fiction (turgid description being the chief offender, which you know if you've tried to slog through Jules Verne, and how in the world do you make submarines and sea monsters boring? Ask Jules). The adventure clips along quite nicely, moving from murder and mayhem on dry land to mutiny and more murder on the sea, and then to a creepy island filled with treasure and other dangers. Long John Silver is a crafty and compelling villain, switching sides more often than Benjamin Linus (hey, speaking of islands). Even though I knew basically where the story was going, it was a fast and engaging read, with a lot of creative sequences of suspense.

The only sections that bogged down a bit were the brief but somewhat technical descriptions of the ship, the sails, how the waves turned it this way and that, etc. I don't know starboard from port, and I don't care to, RLS. So get back to the parts with the talking parrot. ...more

4

Jun 16, 2017

Book Review
4 out of 5 stars to Treasure Island, a coming-of-age-of-sort novel, written in 1882 by Robert Louis Stevenson. I read this book as a young adult when I received it as a Christmas present from an aunt and uncle. At first, although I knew it was a classic, I wasn't too anxious to jump into it. I wasn't a big fan of pirates and boats. I wasn't a normal kid, what can I tell you. But... it was a gift and I thought I should give it a chance. And once I did, I loved it. I had read Peter Book Review
4 out of 5 stars to Treasure Island, a coming-of-age-of-sort novel, written in 1882 by Robert Louis Stevenson. I read this book as a young adult when I received it as a Christmas present from an aunt and uncle. At first, although I knew it was a classic, I wasn't too anxious to jump into it. I wasn't a big fan of pirates and boats. I wasn't a normal kid, what can I tell you. But... it was a gift and I thought I should give it a chance. And once I did, I loved it. I had read Peter Pan recently and felt a kismet connection of sorts between them. From the adventures to the bonds, to the test of good versus evil, the book had so many wonderful moments. And since then, I've sampled many different iterations, from movies to other books with pirate stories, all the way to Once Upon a Times interpretation. It's truly a remarkable story that helps young adults figure out how to approach a world full of fears, hopes and questions. And to think it's a pirate and a cook who help you to figure some of it out. But it's more. There's bonding. And team work. And treasure hunting. And challenges. And mystery. All culminating in reaching one's goals in ways you didn't necessarily expect.

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. ...more

4

Dec 19, 2011

As Indiana Jones once, rather astutely pointed out, when it comes to treasure "X never, ever marks the spot". Well, it does if you're a pirate, which basically means that as a pirate you have a statistically much higher chance of finding treasure than any archaeologist ever would. I find this a bit unfortunate and if someone had presented me with this hard and fast evidence I would have ticked the pirate box and not the archaeologist box on my careers worksheet at school. Instead, I have to make As Indiana Jones once, rather astutely pointed out, when it comes to treasure "X never, ever marks the spot". Well, it does if you're a pirate, which basically means that as a pirate you have a statistically much higher chance of finding treasure than any archaeologist ever would. I find this a bit unfortunate and if someone had presented me with this hard and fast evidence I would have ticked the pirate box and not the archaeologist box on my careers worksheet at school. Instead, I have to make do with reading Treasure Island and fantasising about my ideal bespoke treasure island (emeralds growing on trees- I know this is an arboreal unlikelihood but it's my fantasy so back off; lagoons filled with sapphires, gold dubloons in huge heapy piles at the foot of azure blue waterfalls and knuckle sized diamonds to be chipped off the walls of underground caverns).

Stevenson's Treasure Island is much less of a Disney-esque fantasy and Jim Hawkins, narrator and salty sea dog in the making, is forced to pit his wits against the wiliest of all pirates, Long John Silver in a race to retrieve the booty. After finding an oil-skin map in a dead mans chest (nice Robert, very nice) Jim sets off to find some trustworthy (or gullible) adults. Jim must be in possession of some serious powers of persuasion because within minutes the good squire and his associates are rustling up a ship (no mean feat when a schooner could set you back £6000 and your chance of surviving the voyage was slim), tightening their buckanneering belts and getting ready to hit the high seas. It turns out the ships cook is more than he seems though and not to be underestimated (I wonder if JF Lawton, the writer of Under Siege was a Treasure Island fan, after all he served up Casey Rybeck, the most underestimated ships cook of all time).

Caribbean capers ensue as Long John Silver serves up a melting pot of mendacity in an attempt to get his hand on Captain Flint's treasure. Jim Hawkins proves he's tougher than a soused herring that's been at the bottom of a barrel for a year and successfully repels the Island siege before hoisting the main sail, jibing -ho and heading for Britain. The other pirates are left marooned as a punishment and their skeletons will be unearthed 250 years from the time of telling during the construction of a Sandals adult holiday resort. Personally I think I'd rather be marooned than go to Sandals. ...more

3

Jun 17, 2018

AAAARGH!

This be a fair tale o’ the seas and a right good venture into the West to fetch old Flint’s gold.

The Scot writes o’ good master Jim Hawkins and his trip with old Livesy and Smollett, and too of Squire Trelawney who proves an able shot. And of course there’s me self John Silver, known as “Long” by my height though I was laid low by the old saw bones, taking my leg and leaving me with this crutch, an albatross around me neck as it were – but better than a hangman’s knot I’ll wager!

I’ll be AAAARGH!

This be a fair tale o’ the seas and a right good venture into the West to fetch old Flint’s gold.

The Scot writes o’ good master Jim Hawkins and his trip with old Livesy and Smollett, and too of Squire Trelawney who proves an able shot. And of course there’s me self John Silver, known as “Long” by my height though I was laid low by the old saw bones, taking my leg and leaving me with this crutch, an albatross around me neck as it were – but better than a hangman’s knot I’ll wager!

I’ll be sounding six bells and blowin’ a tune on the bosun’s pipe to let all me mates know that this be a right good story and one that’ll keep. The Scot’s bonny tale has been read more than Bowditch and scores o’ wee ones have come to love the stories of we privateers and our goings on.

So heave about and settle aft in the sheets and give this old sea farin’ yarn a go – there’s more treasure than ole Gunn left us says I.

Aaaargh!

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5

Aug 08, 2012

The book's blurb says "The most popular pirate story ever written in English" and they are not kidding about it. Practically every pirate tale written since then was influenced by this classic. I do not think I really need to mention the plot as it is widely known, but I will do it just in case.

A young boy named Jim Hawkins got his hands on a map showing the location of a buried pirate treasure - by a pure accident. A group of people is ready to go on a treasure hunt, but their plans are about The book's blurb says "The most popular pirate story ever written in English" and they are not kidding about it. Practically every pirate tale written since then was influenced by this classic. I do not think I really need to mention the plot as it is widely known, but I will do it just in case.

A young boy named Jim Hawkins got his hands on a map showing the location of a buried pirate treasure - by a pure accident. A group of people is ready to go on a treasure hunt, but their plans are about to be destroyed by pirates who also want to get the treasure.

This is a classic adventure which also happened to have some very well written characters. First and foremost of such is Long John Silver. He is one of the most morally ambiguous characters from the genre. He was famous enough to have a chain of restaurants named after him, among other things. Another brilliant character which comes to mind is half-mad Ben Gunn (is he really?)

Strictly speaking this novel rates closer to 4 stars than 5, but I will raise the rating due to respect for the classic and its influence (as the most recent example: Captain Jack Sparrow would not exist without this novel).

This review is a copy/paste of my LeafMarks one: https://www.leafmarks.com/lm/#/users/... ...more

3

Sep 07, 2019

Original rating: 3 stars
Updated rating: 3 stars (yup, no change)

I originally read this book when I was 12 or 13. I wrote a book report on it for a middle school English class. I also remember that I read it while on Spring Break in Florida - so it was kind of cool to read this while in a somewhat tropical climate. I remember that I liked it okay, but when you are reading it for school, you sometimes cannot trust a lukewarm memory of a book.

In this case, my memory was spot on!

I can describe this Original rating: 3 stars
Updated rating: 3 stars (yup, no change)

I originally read this book when I was 12 or 13. I wrote a book report on it for a middle school English class. I also remember that I read it while on Spring Break in Florida - so it was kind of cool to read this while in a somewhat tropical climate. I remember that I liked it okay, but when you are reading it for school, you sometimes cannot trust a lukewarm memory of a book.

In this case, my memory was spot on!

I can describe this book two ways:

- An okay seafaring/pirate tale that will probably be loved by hardcore pirate fans and people who like nautical tales
- Tedious

When I mentioned it was tedious to my wife, she asked if it was repetitive. But, repetitive is not quite right. More like each scene/part of the book is drawn out to the point I was relieved when it moved on. Kind of surprising as it is not all that long of a book. If you are anything like me you will spend a lot of your time thinking "Get on with it!"

One interesting "Ah-ha" moment I had: As you may know, this book features Long John Silver. In my mind, and probably most peoples' minds, he is a famous pirate from a famous pirate book and there is a seafood chain named after him. The ah-ha, and maybe this was not intentional, is that his cover in the book is that he is a cook on the boat. So, naming a restaurant after him makes perfect sense! ...more

4

Nov 22, 2008

ARRrrr, me reader! Embark now on a voyage of high seas adventure with scurvy pirates, honest jack-tar sailors, marooned souls, and a vast treasure buried on some faraway island. Aye, that's Treasure Island! Weigh anchor, me laddie! The wind's always fair for gettin' this wonderful tale under way! HAHAAAAARRRGGGHHHAAAaaaa….omg, that's exhausting.

5

Aug 10, 2018

Motivations to read Treasure Island have been pinging me all my life. Most recently I read Henry James's famous essay “The Art of Fiction,” in which he says “I have just been reading . . . the delightful story of Treasure Island, by Mr. Robert Louis Stevenson.” That got me recalling all the favorable mentions of Stevenson in good old Jorge Luis Borges' Selected Non-Fictions. More recently, while streaming Blade Runner 2049, I decided to throw in the towel when Rick Deckerd says to Officer K “ Motivations to read Treasure Island have been pinging me all my life. Most recently I read Henry James's famous essay “The Art of Fiction,” in which he says “I have just been reading . . . the delightful story of Treasure Island, by Mr. Robert Louis Stevenson.” That got me recalling all the favorable mentions of Stevenson in good old Jorge Luis Borges' Selected Non-Fictions. More recently, while streaming Blade Runner 2049, I decided to throw in the towel when Rick Deckerd says to Officer K “'You mightn’t happen to have a piece of cheese about you, now?'” which is an allusion to Treasure Island's desperate Ben Gunn. Thus, was I finally sent regressing. Well, not really; I’d never read it as a boy. And neither, says James, is it a book solely for boys. It’s a book for all ages, rather like Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. Read it. It’s pure narrative pleasure—a treasure in itself.

A great joy is the suspense, but also the description of passing across the landscape. This is a gift all the great novelists share—Gabriel García-Márquez, Thomas Hardy, Edith Wharton, V.S. Naipaul spring to mind. Here’s a favorite passage as the search for the treasure finally begins:Heavy, miry ground and a matted, marish vegetation, greatly delayed our progress; but by little and little the hill began to steepen and become stony under foot. It was, indeed, a most pleasant portion of the island that we were now approaching. A heavy-scented broom and many flowering shrubs had almost taken the place of grass. Thickets of green nutmeg trees were dotted here and there with the red columns and the broad shadow of the pines; and the first mingled their spice with the aroma of the others. The air, besides, was fresh and stirring, and this, under the sheer sunbeams, was a wonderful refreshment of our senses. (p. 166) ...more

4

Jul 12, 2017

“If you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel!”

“Treasure Island” is a novel I had not read since I was a teenager. I had forgotten about it frankly. Then while I was rereading it this time, images from past readings and the iconic Disney 1950 film (which I devoured as a kid) were jogged back into my mind by the words I was reading. The youthful fear I felt about the treacherous Israel Hands, the frustration at Squire Trelawney’s big mouth, and others all “If you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel!”

“Treasure Island” is a novel I had not read since I was a teenager. I had forgotten about it frankly. Then while I was rereading it this time, images from past readings and the iconic Disney 1950 film (which I devoured as a kid) were jogged back into my mind by the words I was reading. The youthful fear I felt about the treacherous Israel Hands, the frustration at Squire Trelawney’s big mouth, and others all came roaring back at me. It was a very pleasant experience.
On this reading, I appreciated the world Robert Louis Stevenson created, and I was impressed by his use of dialect and dialogue to establish and distinguish character. It is really well done. You can tell a lot about Long John Silver or the castaway Ben Gunn by the manner in which they speak.
On top of that, it is just a ripping good yarn that also happens to be well written. It is not often that the two go together. The book keeps your attention and I found myself wanting to pick it up and read.
A note about the Barnes & Noble classics edition…the Introduction by Angus Fletcher is overwrought and pretentious and adds nothing to your enjoyment of the text. Skip it.
I have returned to “Treasure Island” after many years. I will be returning again. ...more

5

Feb 10, 2019

“Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”

With this shanty ringing in the air begins the best pirate adventure.
Follow young Jim Hawkins from his home in the Admiral Benbow Inn on the English coast, through the deep seas of the Atlantic, to Treasure Island. Late in the voyage he discovers that most of the ship's crew are pirates with the worst one of all (Long John Silver) appearing to be his “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest—
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”

With this shanty ringing in the air begins the best pirate adventure.
Follow young Jim Hawkins from his home in the Admiral Benbow Inn on the English coast, through the deep seas of the Atlantic, to Treasure Island. Late in the voyage he discovers that most of the ship's crew are pirates with the worst one of all (Long John Silver) appearing to be his close friend.

image:

The Treasure Map
The paper had been sealed in several places with a thimble by way of seal; the very thimble, perhaps, that I had found in the captain’s pocket. The doctor opened the seals with great care, and there fell out the map of an island, with latitude and longitude, soundings, names of hills and bays and inlets, and every particular that would be needed to bring a ship to a safe anchorage upon its shores. It was about nine miles long and five across, shaped, you might say, like a fat dragon standing up, and had two fine land-locked harbours, and a hill in the centre part marked “The Spy-glass.” There were several additions of a later date, but above all, three crosses of red ink—two on the north part of the island, one in the southwest—and beside this last, in the same red ink, and in a small, neat hand, very different from the captain’s tottery characters, these words: “Bulk of treasure here.”

Promises kept?
“Ah,” said Silver, “it were fortunate for me that I had Hawkins here. You would have let old John be cut to bits, and never given it a thought, doctor.”

“Not a thought,” replied Dr. Livesey cheerily.

A likeable rogue
Long John Silver is bad, but has a heart of gold. He had killed many men in order to keep his promises and his chance of getting his share of pirate gold.

image:

Enjoy!


...more

3

Sep 10, 2019

Shiver me timbers! I've been saving this book for Fiji, and here I now am and what better place to read Treasure Island than on a island in the Pacific.

I am always moaning that classics are over descriptive and wordy, not this one, which was a bit of a shame as I was looking forward to being able to envision the island in my head but that wasn't the case. This is an action lead plot so the surroundings dont get a lot of air play at all.

I had no idea what this book was going to be like other Shiver me timbers! I've been saving this book for Fiji, and here I now am and what better place to read Treasure Island than on a island in the Pacific.

I am always moaning that classics are over descriptive and wordy, not this one, which was a bit of a shame as I was looking forward to being able to envision the island in my head but that wasn't the case. This is an action lead plot so the surroundings dont get a lot of air play at all.

I had no idea what this book was going to be like other than there would be treasure on a island and it wasnt what I was expecting at all, in my head it was going to be a bit Secret Seven but it was actually a bit more grown up than that.

A quick read at less than 200 pages which I found perfect for island reading.

Ahoy pirates! ...more

5

Dec 30, 2011

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0

Apr 25, 2016

Long ago I was chatting with a colleague and put it to him that we could send out to all the people who had particularly annoyed us at work an envelope containing a single sheet of paper, entirely blank, save for a large black spot. My colleague, despite his unnecessary youthfulness, was sagacious beyond his years, and pointed out that most of the people who had really got our goats had probably never read Treasure Island. Acquainted as we were with their varying degrees of semi-literacy I had Long ago I was chatting with a colleague and put it to him that we could send out to all the people who had particularly annoyed us at work an envelope containing a single sheet of paper, entirely blank, save for a large black spot. My colleague, despite his unnecessary youthfulness, was sagacious beyond his years, and pointed out that most of the people who had really got our goats had probably never read Treasure Island. Acquainted as we were with their varying degrees of semi-literacy I had to concede that he was right. I did propose that we follow the black spot with a second envelope containing a copy of the book, though sensing we might need to follow that with adult reading classes I'd have been best off getting straight to the point and making use of The Black Arrow instead.

Occasionally in a moment of clarity I might see how odd something familiar is, in this case a children's book, because what have we here - amorality, ill-gotten gains, not simply sinister disabled persons but actually savage ones (view spoiler)[though if you are blind perhaps you prefer Blind Pew to the milk and white bread goodie two-shoes out of All the Light you cannot see (hide spoiler)]. The problem is my assumption of children's literature as needing to be didactic and purposive and worthy, this rather like in the later Peter Pan and Narnia goes nowhere good at all (view spoiler)[ unless you very strictly hold to life as a vale of tears through which one ought to scurry with the eyes firmly closed in a race to get to that fine and private place where none, I think, do there embrace (hide spoiler)], instead Stevenson offers up rich ooze from the imagination.

A joy in reading a few books by one author is getting a sense of the soup of their mind, the ingredients that get ladled out in varying proportions in one book after another. While in The Black Arrow we had a wicked uncle dressed up as a sinister leper, here we get the same ingredient in a less refined form - the hideous blind man and one legged man, their physical disabilities seem to make them even more powerful, Pew has a fearful speed and powerful grip, Silver is more adroit than a South-African athlete, with a crutch that doubles as a javelin when required.

I was going to say that there is something childlike in seeing disabled people as inherently sinister but then I recalled (view spoiler)[the court case in which a young woman used her crutch as a weapon and the old woman who tried to run me down with her disability scooter, luckily I was able to leap up onto the town hall steps while she drove off cackling into the evening fog (hide spoiler)] that children can often be remarkably indifferent to difference accepting it at face value while adults, when one watches the evening news, can be apparently obsessed with it.

Along which lines I was worried to read the Squire's letter I forgot to tell you that Silver is a man of substance, I know of my own knowledge that he has a banker's account, which has never been overdrawn. He leaves his wife to manage the inn; and as she is a woman of colour, a pair of old bachelors like you and I may be excused for guessing that it is the wife, quite as much as the health, that sends him back to roving (p39) (view spoiler)[ Treasure Islands has more on the links between contemporary piracy and banking (hide spoiler)]. Ah, Jim lad, I thought, do you really want to be a cabin boy to a pair of old confirmed bachelors like that who have no comprehension of why a man might want to live together with a woman - look at the racist attitudes you could end up learning from them(view spoiler)[Quite aside from the attitude to property - who does all that gold belong to? One could say to those it was stolen from, or one might value the labour put in by the pirates in seizing the treasure and fairly ascribe it to the survivors of Flint's crew, but of anybody the Squire has the least reasonable claim - its a bit like How to Read Donald Duck which shows the same attitude present in the cartoon - if you have wealth you can use it to acquire more while if you don't have wealth you have no right to keep your gold from others - as we see here in the fate of Ben Gunn who trades a cave full of gold for the promise of some cheese(view spoiler)[Ben Gunn is sorry figure - all those goats about him and never no cheese... had he been Robinson Crusoe he'd have domesticated the goats, been clad in the finest homespun goat's wool, feasted on roast kid and had a cave full of goat's cheese (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)].

I'm also interested just as in Kidnapped the child has the more adult behaviours than the grown ups - the pirates are rather like Stevenson's Highlanders, full of feeling but aside from Silver, showing little sense and about as much patience as a child at Christmas (view spoiler)[ or similar present related festivity (hide spoiler)]. So it is the boy Hawkins who runs rings round them demonstrating loyalty, cunning, and a taste for one-liners One more step, Mr. Hands...and I'll blow your brains out! Dead men don't bite, you know (p142).

The thing about Treasure Island is that the whole adventure is for the sake of adventure. Ok, Ben Gunn gets a job, Silver gets three hundred guineas and hopefully gets back to Bristol so that he and his wife can enjoy one another and start the ground work for International Talk like a Pirate Day. Do the Squire and the Doctor need the money? Does Jim Hawkins get anything? Perhaps Widow Hawkins gets her son back, now a killer and hardened brandy boozer, to sit in her tavern, bullying the regulars with tales of piracy and bloodshed while still barely twelve years old (view spoiler)[or how ever old he is (hide spoiler)]. ...more

5

Sep 28, 2014

The first time I read Treasure Island I was 11 or 12 and although it is a challenge for a child whose literary excursions were largely confined to the Famous Five, from Enid Blyton. I loved every page. There is adventure, violence (hilly), boats, good and bad guys, maps, a treasure and, best of all, pirates! At that age there is something profoundly evocative in words like pirate, ambush, musket and so forth and I have remembered Jim's adventures with great pleasure over the years.
In a fit of The first time I read Treasure Island I was 11 or 12 and although it is a challenge for a child whose literary excursions were largely confined to the Famous Five, from Enid Blyton. I loved every page. There is adventure, violence (hilly), boats, good and bad guys, maps, a treasure and, best of all, pirates! At that age there is something profoundly evocative in words like pirate, ambush, musket and so forth and I have remembered Jim's adventures with great pleasure over the years.
In a fit of nostalgia, I decided to read it again, even though I was genuinely worried that I would enjoy it again. However, it is even better, as they have all the elements I remembered from childhood, but now I can appreciate it on a different level and see that it is not all adventure on the high seas, and Treasure Island is a book with live and complex characters. Long John Silver continues the charismatic bandit I remember and although he is a villain who cheats Jim, we can not help liking him.
You might say that Treasure Island will not be accessible to toddlers today but this book is immediately accessible to any child with imagination and attention over 2 minutes. In the same way, grown children will also like it because they can revive their childhood a little. ...more

4

May 30, 2012

Treasure Island was a swash-buckling adventure where the stakes were high and the Gentlemen of Fortune weren't so gentle when seeking their fortune. I absolutely loved this book. Having never read it before, I picked it up because it looked to be a quick read, and I had books on route to my house and not much time before they got here, I thought I'd get another quick read off my list of classics. Immediately upon reading I wanted to get on a boat and search for buried treasure, but settled for Treasure Island was a swash-buckling adventure where the stakes were high and the Gentlemen of Fortune weren't so gentle when seeking their fortune. I absolutely loved this book. Having never read it before, I picked it up because it looked to be a quick read, and I had books on route to my house and not much time before they got here, I thought I'd get another quick read off my list of classics. Immediately upon reading I wanted to get on a boat and search for buried treasure, but settled for playing in the sandbox in the backyard.

Stevenson brings to life characters in a new and frightening way that held me captivated, in which Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde failed to do. He writes in such a way in this novel, that the characters come to life vividly and with great detail in my mind as I read, even though, when I later went back to re-read parts, the characters weren't defined nearly as minutely as I thought they were. I don't attribute this to my own imagination though. I think Stevenson's brilliance lies in the meticulous vagueness of his descriptions, allowing the reader to take the direction of their choosing with the character's appearance.

A perfect example of this is in Ben Gunn. My husband and I were watching Treasure Island with Eddie Izzard, and he commented on the age of Gunn, saying he'd seen another movie where he was old, opposed to this one, in which he was younger in age. So then I thought back to the book and wondered, what age was he? So I looked it up, and really, it could be interpreted in so many ways:

"...unlike any man I had ever seen, stooping almost double as it ran..." - As an animal or from old age?

"...his voice sounded hoarse and awkward, like a rusty lock. I could now see he was a white man like myself, and that his features were even pleasing. His skin, wherever it was exposed, was burnt by the sun; even his lips were black; and his fair eyes looked quite startling in so dark a face. Of all the beggar men I had seen or fancied, he was the chief for raggedness." - Old? Young?

"...I was a civil, pious, boy..." - Speaking of when he was young, makes me see him as older.

"You're a good lad, Jim..." - He calls Hawkins a lad, which makes him seem older to me, but then, how old is old? For the time it was and the longevity of life span, especially for the pirates with so hazardous a life, they didn't live long. So maybe in his thirties?

Besides the wonderful characters, the chapters were breathtaking, causing me to sit at the edge of my seat with each page turn. What a wonderfully suspenseful tale with such colorful inhabitants! Even the slang was picturesque, with nicknames like "Barbeque" for Silver, and "Long John's Earrings" for the ropes strung across the ships decks that allowed our favorite character to pass easily from port to starboard with his one leg. And even though the movie I saw gave a satisfying death to the despicable Trelawney, I'm rather glad that the book left him alive at the end. It wasn't what I expected and it was more true to life. The abhorrent man, who puts himself off as one of the good guys, never seems to be the one with a bad run of luck. And although Muppet Treasure Island was not exactly true to the original story, (the Captain a frog?), it was still surprisingly accurate in most aspects of the novel, which is something I've always enjoyed about the Muppets, especially in The Christmas Carol.

Overall, it was a superb book and an intoxicating adventure. A natural classic, with a huge following, underlying themes, and above all, a great deal of the Magic Factor, it's a story that will live through the ages and continue to be adapted in many ways and various forms for years to come. Treasure Island is a beloved tale for both young and older readers alike. I highly recommend it.

ClassicsDefined.com ...more

3

Aug 05, 2019

I wonder how I missed reading this book when I was a child. The adventure of Jim Hawkins and his friends, the treasure hunt and pirates would have been alluring to my young mind. No matter, I'm happy that I read it at last.

The book really surprised me. I expected a complete children's classic. But this is not so. It has mature substance. There is treachery, mutiny, murder which serves a mature audience while there is also adventure and heroism which pleases both young and adult audiences.

Jim I wonder how I missed reading this book when I was a child. The adventure of Jim Hawkins and his friends, the treasure hunt and pirates would have been alluring to my young mind. No matter, I'm happy that I read it at last.

The book really surprised me. I expected a complete children's classic. But this is not so. It has mature substance. There is treachery, mutiny, murder which serves a mature audience while there is also adventure and heroism which pleases both young and adult audiences.

Jim Hawkins was a likable hero. His friends - the doctor, the captain and the squire were an interesting lot too. I was also taken by the pirates, especially the cunning and double dealing John Silver.

Overall, it was a fun, light read. I enjoyed it. ...more

4

Jun 09, 2013

In one of Manny's 1,682 reviews - no, I can't remember which one** - he says that it must have been incredibly exciting being an avid reader of modern novels in the 1880s and 1890s. Not only were they churning out great classics at a rate of knots, they were inventing whole genres - Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Picture of Dorian Gray, HG Wells - and Treasure Island is one of those, a novel which invented a whole a-harr talk like a pirate genre. Stevenson's prose is quite magical, he absolutely In one of Manny's 1,682 reviews - no, I can't remember which one** - he says that it must have been incredibly exciting being an avid reader of modern novels in the 1880s and 1890s. Not only were they churning out great classics at a rate of knots, they were inventing whole genres - Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Picture of Dorian Gray, HG Wells - and Treasure Island is one of those, a novel which invented a whole a-harr talk like a pirate genre. Stevenson's prose is quite magical, he absolutely convinced me with his descriptions of winds and seas and gunnels and jibs and booms and mizzenmasts and fo'c'sles (it's okay, you can print the whole word - forecastle - there - the printer won't charge you any more) and all of that. Plus, some of the ripest dialogue anywhere -

"If that ain't to your fancy, some of my hands being rough, and having old scores, on account of hazing, then you can stay here, you can. We'll divide stores with you, man for man; and I'll give my affy-davy as before to speak the first ship I sight, and send 'em here to pick you up... Refuse that, and you've seen the last of me but musket-balls."

"There!" he cried. "That's what I think of ye. Before an hour's out, I'll stove in your blockhouse like a rum puncheon. Laugh, by thunder, laugh! Before an hour's out ye'll laugh on the other side. Them that die'll be the lucky ones.




Cap'n Flint says : As well as a ripping yarn, it's also a nifty dissection of the concept of being a "gentleman" which you may take sociologically, politically or psychologically, as suits ye best, ye lubbers. Squaaawk! Pieces of eight! A tot of rum would go down a treat! Skwawwwk!


**Update : I found a previous note I'd already written so I can confirm that it was Manny's review of A Rebours where he says :


It must have been so exciting to be a novelist in the second half of the nineteenth century. You weren't limited to just creating a novel; if you were talented, you could create a whole new kind of novel.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...


1883 : Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
1885 : Germinal : Emile Zola
1886 : The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde : R L Stephenson
1891 : The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde, 1891
1892 : The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1895 : The Time Machine : H G Wells
1897 : Dracula : Bram Stoker
1898 : The Turn of the Screw : Henry James
1898 : The War of the Worlds – H G Wells

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4

Jan 10, 2017

[8/10]



When you encounter a haggard and bedraggled fellow in the middle of an uninhabited island that you have sailed to to find treasure, and the fellow in question claims that he is rich, you could undoubtedly decide that you have succeeded in your mission. Claim the prize. Flee the scene. End of the story.

Alas, that is not how Robert Louis Stevenson envisaged the ending. At this point, you have more than two thirds of the book to finish. Yet you carry on as if you haven't a clue about how the ★★★★★★★★☆☆[8/10]



When you encounter a haggard and bedraggled fellow in the middle of an uninhabited island that you have sailed to to find treasure, and the fellow in question claims that he is rich, you could undoubtedly decide that you have succeeded in your mission. Claim the prize. Flee the scene. End of the story.

Alas, that is not how Robert Louis Stevenson envisaged the ending. At this point, you have more than two thirds of the book to finish. Yet you carry on as if you haven't a clue about how the mariners who are on a death-mission will return absolutely unscathed, to enjoy the riches that the island bestowed upon them.
Yes, because it is Stevenson.

So, if you are not someone who is directionally- and spatially-challenged like me, and is fond of cursing like an old English sailor (or a buccaneer) (Anu, are you reading this? Man! That was seriously messed up even for dootiful followers of the parlance!), and utterly bored with life's real quests, then hop onto Captain Smollett's schooner and head for Treasure Island. Remember, you'll only have young Jim Hawkins to save your butt in case you get caught in trouble. And, may luck be with you. As for the sheer literary brilliance of the book, I leave it up to you to decide (I am not particularly partial to piratealect!).

[The only thing that troubles me is how people treat Long John Silver like a glorified villain. He stabbed a faithful seaman in cold blood at the first chance he got-- and there's no glory in that, I tell you. He is an oleaginous wretch as Jim Hawkins has rightly said, and I have only that much regard for him.]


(Can't say "no" to that, eh?) ...more

5

Mar 19, 2017

Last year I read Kidnapped and I was truly amazed by the fact that I ignored the existence of such a good novel, so I decided that I definitively have to read more Stevenson. Treasure Island was the second novel I ever read. Then I was too young and I realized I didn’t remember neither the plot nor the characters nor anything. Truth be told I remember it was a novel about a treasure in a desert island and someone (a pirate?) called John Silver. Even though I had completely forgotten what Last year I read Kidnapped and I was truly amazed by the fact that I ignored the existence of such a good novel, so I decided that I definitively have to read more Stevenson. Treasure Island was the second novel I ever read. Then I was too young and I realized I didn’t remember neither the plot nor the characters nor anything. Truth be told I remember it was a novel about a treasure in a desert island and someone (a pirate?) called John Silver. Even though I had completely forgotten what Treasure Island was about (besides the treasure and the island), I was absolutely certain that I really enjoyed reading it and that it was a great book. So after the great experience of reading kidnapped I decided that I had to read Treasure Island one more time. I recently found it in a bookstore and for a moment doubted about buying it: I was afraid it might be a children’s tale or that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I did the first time.
Well, I bought I read it and NO REGRETS. Actually I was sorry I waited so long for reading it again, this is simply a marvellous tale.
The nautical terms and the pirate slang made reading a little slow at first but then I got used to it. The rest is awesome. You can read what this book is about in Wikipedia so I won’t bother you with the “Young Jim Hawkins meets captain Flint, blah blah blah” I will say this though: Yes, it’s a coming of age book, and no, it is not a "tale for children". If you read this book when you were young and kind of remember liking it, read it again. If, on the other hand, you kind of remember not liking it, then read it again, chances are you were too young to grasp all the beauty of this book. #JustSaying.
Treasure Island is the result of a very talented author who puts in one place all the elements to create a classic of literature: A great plot, amazing descriptions, and incredibly well developed characters. The prose is magnificent: the pace is excellent with more than one cliff-hanger and a couple of twist that make you put the book down for a moment until you realise what just happened and then eagerly resume reading to know what will happen next.

TL;DR: Read this book if you haven’t. Read it again if you read it when you were young. Because it’s awesome, that’s why.

This review was also posted in my blog ...more